Microsoft Acquires Xbone.com After Major Nelson Calls the Nickname Disrespectful

The nickname “Xbone” has been trending since Microsoft first unveiled the Xbox One back in May. Some say it’s just a shortening of the console’s name, but there’s a bone of contention in the moniker that’s hard to ignore. Today, Microsoft acquired the domain Xbone.com, nipping any potential parody site in the bud.

The software giant has been known to snatch up domains that could be potentially harmful to its brands. Microsoft recently filed a successful complaint with the National Arbitration Forum(NAF) over the domain names XboxOne.com and XboxOne.net. Xbone.com was acquired without any such complaints, instead paying the domain’s owner an undisclosed sum for the rights.

Larry Hyrb, Xbox’s Major Nelson, recently gave his opinion of the nickname on gaming forum NeoGAF, disapproving of the Xbone nickname he finds disrespectful:

“I don’t like it…it disrespects the teams that have put in thousands of hours (already) into the development of the product. Sure, it’s cheeky but I don’t care for it myself.”

Microsoft may have the rights to the domain but it certainly won’t be able to squash the nickname, as Xbone has certainly taken hold. It’s used derisively by Sony fanboys, but it looks like fans of the Xbox One have taken to the shorthand as well. Take a look at the use of the #xbone hashtag on Twitter and you can see that it’s one bone that won’t be buried!